Combination seat, table, couch, and bar



Feb. 13, 1951 RICKETSON 2,541,612

COMBINATION SEAT, TABLE, COUCH, AND BAR Filed Feb. 21, 1949 ]NVENTOR.

0621121 @Misvfl flm WW Patented Feb. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE COMBINATION SEAT, TABLE, COUCH,

' AND BAR Oliver G. Ricketson, South Dartmouth, Mass.

Application February 21, 1949, Serial No. 7 7,548

placed out-of-doors on the lawn, the structure provided is usually of avery heavy nature and is difficult to move from one position to another,and usually is of the type which only has a single use such, forinstance, as a seat being used only as a seat.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an article offurniture which may be converted to serve uses depending upon theposition which it assumes.

Another object of the invention is to provide an article of furniturewhich may be readily moved about the lawn such as by rolling the samefrom one place to another.

Another object of this invention is to provide an article of furniturewhich although of a rather large construction may be made relativelylight and yet sufficiently strong to withstand the strain to which it issubjected.

Another object of this invention is to provide an article of furniturewhich may be converted by rolling the same along the lawn to serveeither as a seat or couch or table or bar.

Another object of this invention is to provide an article of furniturewhich is so arranged that when in any of its uses, the ends may serve asa windbreak to shield the use which is made of the furniture.

Another object of this invention is to provide an arrangement sothat thefurniture although upon rolling supports may be held in any of severalpositions.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, as will be more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the article of furniture shown inposition for use as a couch;

Figure 2 is a sectional view illustrating the article as moved to aposition for use as a bar;

Figure 3 is a, still different position of the article for use as atable;

Figure 4 is a still different position of the article for use as a seat;

Figure 5 is an elevation of the article shown with its stops or handlesin position for rolling the support from one position to another.

In proceeding with this invention, I have provided two circular endmembers which may either be of open framework construction, but prefer-V ably are solid to serve as windbreaks, and I have fixed between thesetwo members, two panels 'which serve to connect the circular memberstogether. These panels are each offset from the center and are solocated that when one is 7 above the center and in a horizontalposition, it

- bers serving as wheels.

serves as a table, while when it is below the center, it serves as acouch. The other narrower panel is so located that when above the centerin the horizontal position, it serves as a bar, and when below thecenter in a substantially horizontal position, it serves as a seat.Stops which serve as handles are provided for locking the circularmembers against rolling movement along the support upon which they mayrest when wedged between the circular member and its support, while whenthese members are lifted from such position and placed together, theymay serve as a handle for either pushing or drawing the entire deviceover the support with the end mem- With reference to the drawings, theend members I0 |IJ are circular and as shown in the drawing are of asolid construction so as to serve as a windbreak and shield for theoccupant of the furniture. How-ever, except for this windbreak, thesecircular members might be of open framework construction. Trunnions IIextend axially from the center of each circular end member In, beingsuitably mounted in each end member for extension therefrom.

Abroad panel [2 extends between and serves to rigidly connect thecircular members In and is offset from the center or trunnions H so thatwhen in substantially horizontal position as shown in Figure 1 and belowthis center, the panel I2 is of a height to serve as a couch for someoccupant. Also connecting the end members I0 is a narrow panel I4 whichserves to rigidly connect and support the end members and is also offsetfrom the axis or trunnions H and as shown in Figure 1 serves as a backfor the couch.

The panel I4 is of such an offset distance from the center trunnion IIthat when substantially horizontal above the center, as shown in Figure2, it is of a height to serve as a bar, While when this panel I4 isbelow the center, as shown in Figure 4, it is of a height to serve as aseat, while the panel I2 serves as a back for this seat and is of asufficient height so as to assist in serving as a. windbreak, asoccasion may require.

Should it be desired to use the device as a table, then the panel I2 maybe arranged above the center of the members, as shown in Figure 3, inwhich case it will serve as a table.'

The layout of distances of the panels from the axial center may bevaried through a small range, but I have found the following dimensionsto be satisfactory: The end members it! are 47 inches in diameter havinga center which will be designated in Figure 4 as 15. The point I6 islocated on a radial line from the center it a distance A which in theexample is 13% inches, while the distance B of this point from the outercircumference is 9% inches. In order to determine the direction of thepanel is, I strike from a center IS an arc of C distance, which is 14inches in length, to a point ll on the circumference and from this pointI7, I draw a line through the point 16 which determines the position ofthe panel I4. I have found that this panel can comfortably be made awidth D which is 16 inches, thus locating the end of the panel at it!which is a distance E or 18 inches from the center I5.

From the point It I strike an arc of radius F which is 9% inches, todetermine a point 19 on the circumference and from this point is, I drawa line through the point [6 to determine the plane and location of thepanel 52, which I lay off as G distance or 33 inches to a point 2% whichwill be found to be A; inch from the circumference of the member H3 anda distance H or 23% inches from the center 55. This provides an obtuseangle between the two panels i2 and IE on the side toward center 55 andso locates the distances as to provide the proper heights for the couch,table, bar, or seat.

The circular ends are in effect wheeis which may serve to readily rollthe article of furniture about the lawn, and in order to hold thearticle of furniture in any one set position, I have provided arms 2|pivotally mounted on each of the trunnions H and connected together by arod 22 such as by means of elbows 23. This rod may be swung so as to actas a support between the trunnion H and the ground 25, as shown in thevarious figures, so as to prevent movement of the article of furniturein one direction. A second set of arms 25 is also pivotally mounted onthe trunnions H and are connected by the rod 27 so as to likewise serveas a support between the trunnion II and the ground 25 to preventrolling movement of the device in the other direction. Each of thesebars with its arms is freely rotatable about the trunnions H and,accordingly, when it is desired to roll the device from one position toanother, either both arms may be swung about the trunnions H and broughttogether as in Figure for pushing or pulling the device on itswheel-like end members over the surface of the ground, or one of therods may be lifted and used as a draw bar for pulling the device while 4trailing the other rod along the ground. It will be apparent that as therolling occurs, the relative position of the panels change so that thedesired relationship of couch, seat, bar, or table may be had.

I claim:

1. An article of furniture of the convertible class comprising a pair ofcircular end members for rollably engaging the ground throughout 360, abroad panel extending between and connecting said members and located atone side of a line connecting the centers of said members so that theend members may be rolled to position the panel horizontally above thesaid line or below said line, and means adapted to be movable into onerelation to prevent movement of the article along the ground, and inanother relation to move said article.

2. An article of furniture of the convertible class comprising a pair ofcircular members for rollably engaging the ground throughout 360, afirst panel extending between and connecting said members and located atone side of a line connecting the centers of said members, a secondpanel extending between and connecting said members and located at oneside of said line so that the end members may be rolled to positioneither of the panels horizontally above the center of said end membersor below the center of said members, said two panels being in planes atsubstantially an obtuse angle to each other, and means mounted on saidend members to engage the ground and prevent movement and shiftable to asecond position to provide a handle to propel said article.

3. An article of furniture as in claim 2 Wherein said means mounted onsaid end members comprises trunnions extending outwardly from the centerof each end member, two arms pivotally mounted on each trunnionextending over the outer surface of said end member and a rod connectingeach pair of arms and adapted to be swung to either side of a verticalplane through said trunnions to form ground engaging supports.

- OLIVER G. RICKETSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATESv PATENTS Number Name Date 2,089,818 Terker Aug. 10, 19372,426,676 Fleischer Sept. 2, 1947 2,454,599 Dunson Nov. 23, 1948

